Yes I said paper. I’m going back to my old school agenda and making lists in a notebook.
In my line of work I talk about executive functioning on a daily basis. I also promote self care as the first step for parenting success. Through my own journey I have learned that the two topics go hand in hand.
6 & 8 are a struggle for me. When I was in school I had an agenda. I planned things out because I had to. I don’t have deadlines and specific homework I have to write down and remember in my personal life. However my life is full of commitments, events and chores that have to be done. But instead of writing things down and setting my own deadlines, I was flying by the seat of my pants. I felt like I was in a state if chaos most days. This method was not working. When I finally realized the root of my problem I made it a goal to fix it. The funny thing, is I had a plan at work. I just wasn’t transferring the skills to my home life.
I started with making goals and writing down lists of things I wanted to get done. I bought an agenda and started filling in my commitments. I would use the whole month page to write things down such as: what days I had to drop the kids off to different sports, birthday parties and appointments. I wanted to see the whole month at a glance.
I wanted to see the whole week at a glance on the following pages. I used those pages to write specific tasks or appointments for each day. I wrote a master list. I would choose three things to accomplish a day from the master list. It helped me prioritize and empowered me to keep going.
It seems so simple, but it works! I’m no longer feeling overwhelmed, or like I’ve forgotten something. I have recently learned about the Midori travelers notebook. It enables you to keep everything you need all in one neat and compact place. That will be my next purchase. Right now I have a seperate bullet journal and agenda.
What I have learned is that the more organized and clutter free you are, the more time you have. I have made time for me because I had a plan. It motivates me to keep going. I’m a work in progress, but I can see first hand how the hard work is starting to pay off.
